This is the flight everything else is built around. You are collected in the dark, cross the Nile while Luxor is still asleep, and are on the launch field as the envelopes come up. Roughly three to four hours from hotel door to hotel door, most of it before the rest of the city has had breakfast.
The route depends entirely on the morning wind. On a normal day the balloon drifts within sight of the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut, the Ramesseum and the Colossi of Memnon, with the green strip of the Nile valley on one side and open desert on the other.
If you want the temples on the ground as well, look at the Balloon + Best of Luxor package instead.
Itinerary
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Early morningHotel or Nile cruise pickup Collected in the dark from your hotel or moored cruise ship
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Before dawnCross the Nile Short ferry crossing to the West Bank launch fields
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Tea, coffee and light refreshment
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Safety briefing Your pilot walks the whole basket through take-off and landing positions
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SunriseHot air balloon flight Lift off as the sun clears the eastern desert
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In the airPanoramic views of Luxor, the Nile valley and the ancient monuments
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After landingLanding and celebration
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Flight certificate
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Mid-morningReturn to your hotel
What’s included
- Hotel or Nile cruise pickup and return
- Nile crossing to the West Bank
- Tea, coffee and light refreshment
- Full safety briefing with your pilot
- Sunrise hot air balloon flight
- Landing celebration
- Personalised flight certificate
- Licensed pilot and full passenger insurance
What you will see from the balloon
On a normal morning the balloon drifts within sight of Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Nile River, Colossi of Memnon, Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple — the exact route depends on the wind, which is what makes every flight different.
Questions about this tour
Hotel pickup is usually between 4:00 and 4:30 AM, and the balloon lifts off right at sunrise — roughly 5:30 AM in summer and 6:30 AM in winter. Exact times shift with the season, so we confirm your pickup the evening before your flight.
The flight itself lasts 35 to 45 minutes in the air. Allow around 3 to 3.5 hours door to door, including hotel pickup, the safety briefing, inflation, the flight, the landing celebration and the drive back to your hotel or Nile cruise.
Prices start at $65 per person for the standard sunrise flight, $125 for the balloon-plus-Luxor-tour package and $180 for the premium small-basket experience. Booking direct with us includes hotel transfers, insurance, a flight certificate and refreshments, with no booking fee.
Yes. Every flight is operated under the regulations of the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority by licensed commercial balloon pilots, with fully insured passengers, modern equipment inspected before each flight, and a strict no-fly rule whenever wind or visibility falls outside safe limits.
Wear comfortable closed shoes, long trousers and a light jacket or fleece — early mornings in Luxor are cool even in summer, and layers come off once the sun rises. Bring a hat, sunglasses and your camera; the basket has room for it.
October to April offers the most comfortable temperatures and the highest number of flyable mornings. Balloons fly year round in Luxor, and summer flights take off earlier when the air is coolest and calmest.
